A Weekly Diary of How my Dog Carl Inspires Me to Grow Spiritually

A Protective Shell

I can tell that Carl was very upset with us for leaving him for so long in the pet resort. When we picked him up I asked how he and Bee had done and received the answer that I thought I would get. He had been good until the last day when he went outside to pee and he redirected his anger out on Bee. No blood but a real sense of anger that had to land somewhere. When we brought him home, he seemed to be reserved and cautious. I know he was happy to be at home but he wasn’t ready to demonstrate unconditional love for us. He hopped on his bed in front of the fireplace and basically laid there scoping out the situation. Hopefully, after a couple of days of being back in his normal routine, he will slide back into his old self. Time will tell.

I can understand where Carl is coming from. How many times do we pull back our emotions when we get hurt? I have more times than I want to count. I feel justified for it as well. I don’t like being hurt and when I get hurt, I pull myself away from the person and put up a protective shell.

Once I begin to think clearly, I turn my thoughts to the Word and realize how my behavior is not a part of God’s will. In 1 Thessalonians 5:15, Paul writes, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.” Ouch!! That isn’t what I want to hear when I feel so strongly about the hurt that is embedded in my heart. But my mind tells me that God created us and knows what is best for us as we travel through life.

Sure enough, when I bring down my embittered wall and do the right thing, the feelings will follow. I supplement the process with some direct prayers and focus on what has eternal implications.

Since Carl is not a spiritual thinker, it may take him a little longer to move past his feelings of being abandoned. But on the other hand, since he is a dog, my bet is that he will be back to normal in no time at all.

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One thought on “A Protective Shell”

I seem to do the opposite. I express my anger immediately, knowing I can’t take back anything I have regretted saying. This means an extra step in what I need to do to make things better. Not only do I have to ask forgiveness from God, but from the person I have hurt. Healing a relationship takes time and prayer. So God is teaching me to think through what I would like to say, wait until I am not so mad, and be absolutely sure I follow His lead!